Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-01-14
THE STUDY OF INSANITY.
The Meaning Of Decisions. hallucina'
tiop, aud Illusions.

Great confusion exists in the minds OF
many people with regard to the proper
meaning of the words delusion, hallu-
cination and illusion. II would perhaps
not be amiss TO give a definition of these
words. By a 'delusion" is meant a
faulty belief, out Of which a person can
not be reasoned by adequate methods for
the time being. Decisions are the prin-
cipal evidences of insanity. But not all
persons who have decisions are consid-
cred insane.
BY an Authorization is meant the
perception Of an object without a real
presence TO justify the impression. For
instance, if | should see human forms
while in reality no one is neal or hear
voices when no one has spoken these
would be Authorizations. II is perfectly
possible for a san man to have halluci-
nations, but the impressions are always
corrected. The insane nan cannot cor
rect these impressions and believes firmly
that he has seen persons when in reality
no one was near, and that he has heard
voices when in reality no one has spoken.
These. then, become decisions; that is,
faulty beliefs out of which he cannot be
reasoned.
An Illusion is the perception of an
object actually present, but in characters
which that object does not possess. For
instance, if / should see a bright cloud in
the sky and take it for a fiery chariot.
or see an old friend in the person of a
stranger, these would be illusions, If
would correct the impression and he con-
WINGED that the fiery chariot was only a
bright cloud, or that the friend was in
reality a stranger, then they would he
illusions proper. If | could not he con-
WINGED of the falsity Of my first conclu-
sion they would become insane illusions,
or, more properly, decisions.
In the insane delusions take one or the
other uf these forms and hence They are
termed insane Authorizations or insane
illusions. These insane Authorizations
and illusions may occur in any one of the
senscs-in the sense Of sight, hearing,
smell. taste or feeling-that is, cutaneous
sensibility. Hallucinations and illusions
of sight are very common among the in
sane, and their form depends upon the
disposition of mind and direction of
thoughts of the person. Thus in the
m~elanchulic they are always of a de-
pressing character. He sees the flames
of hell encompassing him. or sees
his children being tortured. while in the
maniac they are of the opposite kind
celebrating, exciting, exalting. He sees
God in all his glory; heaven opens up
before his eyes.
Hallucinations and illusions of hearing
are most Common among the insane.
Voices are most commonly heard. In
the m%elancholic these voices are of re-
proach or menace or voices that COM
mand him to commit some atrocious
act. The following is a good example
of pure Authorizations of hearing: A
young man has not spoken a word for
six months nor performed any voluntary
act. One day he seized a bottle and
threw il at the head of an attendant.
After this he remained quiet and i'm
movable and recovered in a few months.
When asked why he had thrown the
bottle, he said: Because | hearda voice
saving: Kill somebody and you will he
delivered. ] did not kill the man,
therefore my lot could not he altered
and | remained quiet and immovable.
Moreover, the same voice repeated with
out ceasing: Move and you will be dead.
This warning was the cause of my i'm
mobility.
Authorizations and illusions of smell
and taste are not so common. yet they
occur, and may be of a pleasant or un-
pleasant nature, depending upon the dis
position of the person. From these often
arise the ideas of insane patients that
they are being compelled to breathe
noxiOus gases, as chloroform or ether,
or ideas that they are being poisoned by
articles introduced into their food.
Again, 10 certain of them plain hospital
fare may seem as the ambrosia of the
gods, and plain. weak water as sweet
nectar.
With regard to feeling a cutaneous SEN
sibility, Authorizations and illusions AN
not be distinguished from each other, as
it is impossible often to tell whether
there is really any abnormal sensation OF
not. The various sensations that some
experience are very di~sagreeable and
somewhat frightful, as when a person
thinks that serpents are crawling over
him or that frogs have taken lodging in
his stomach. or that birds are in his chest
or a dog in his head. A case which illus
trates hallucination of several senses is
the following: A man was returning
home one moonlight night and was
somwhat fatigued by his long walk. All
at once il seemed to him IS il he saw a
great animal like a dragon roll itself out
OF a ditch by the roadside. He became
excessively afraid and at the same time
felt himself painfully grasped by the
right shoulder by the animal; neverthe-
less he could, as he said, free himself by
running. Immediately afterward he fell
into a disease Of the lungs which affected
his entire right lung, and he died in q
short time.
II is a well known fact that starvation
will induce h~allucinations and sight is
the sense that is usually affected, as is
shown by the following example: A few
years ago several lumbermen lost their
way on the ice Of Lake Ontario, and were
found on a little island from which
il was difficult 10 remove them owing to
the attractive vision of n splendid feast